'Identity Thief' Trailer: Jason Bateman has a Midnight Run with Melissa McCarthy

There are a number of films that have tried to do the Midnight Run/Planes, Trains, and Automobilesthing, and it’s a hard balance to strike. That seems to be what Identity Thiefis going after, as it pairs Jason Bateman as the hapless straight man who must take Melissa McCarthy across country to clear his name.Now there’s a new trailer.

The set up of this film is such that it seems totally unbelievable (seriously, why wouldn’t the government be able to tell that one character doesn’t live in another state?), and that McCarthy playing a greedy and obnoxious character makes this look like a complete misfire. I don’t see how the film gets over the first forty minutes to the fun part. It just looks unpleasant. But they had to know that was problem going in. Perhaps there’s a more positive light for the McCarthy character that just isn’t apparent in the trailer. Which you can watch below:

http://youtu.be/_JoSPxTcFaE

the movie is due out February 8, which makes it seem like it didn’t come together, but you never know with comedies. If they work they can work at any time of the year. The film was directed by Seth Gordon who is coming off Horrible Bosses, which was a very big hit and balanced its tone well, so perhaps this will also work.

Damon worked in the film business as a Film Buyer for a theater chain for many years, which gives him an interesting perspective on the numbers. He's written for Collider, Chud, Screencrush, The DVD Journal and Binaryflix online, and was published by The New York Times and Willamette Week, along with his college, high school and middle school papers.